


Green Eyes, Empty Canvas

by SexyAsswoMan



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, And Harry studies law, Artist Louis, Enjoy!, Fluffy, Insecure Louis, Louis in GLASSES!, M/M, Painter Louis, Painting, Shy Louis, Well Louis is an art student, cause Louis in glasses is LIFE!, god why am i on about, involves a lot of painting stuff, it's a artist au...sort of, its cute really, like so so so so SHY, normal harry, nothing else really, ohh and there's a lot of rain, ohh yes, so i just found out the right tag for this, soo..., that's about it, this whole thing is just fluff, try to ignore that, wellp, yey!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 01:17:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7993297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SexyAsswoMan/pseuds/SexyAsswoMan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His eyes were a weird shade of green. A shade that reminded you of a forest. a forest washed up in rain, glistening in the golden sun. Bright yet soft at the same time. And Louis wanted to get lost in them. Wanted to take it all out and splatter it on a canvas. Wanted to know every stroke of the man that stood in front of him.<br/>Too bad he was shit at forming words.</p><p>or where,</p><p>Louis Tomlinson liked to paint and suddenly, all he could ever paint was Harry Styles.</p><p>Now also in <a href="https://ficbook.net/readfic/5136413">Russian!</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Green Eyes, Empty Canvas

**Author's Note:**

> All that i can say is that i've spent two months behind this story. and honestly i don't even know what i've written.  
> but i'd like to say a very special thanks to [princessbutterfly](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessbutterfly)  who helped me beta this shit of a work. i'd also like to say thanks to Melon & Egg who helped with just about everything else in this story, you two are an idiot but i love you.
> 
> there are still many mistakes in here cause i may have changed a bit myself and i deeply apologize for that. hope you enjoy! :)

**  Green Eyes & Empty Canvases   **

 

 

Louis Tomlinson liked to paint.

He liked to fill canvases after canvases with beautiful colors. He liked to splatter his emotions over empty pages. Liked to explain what he felt with a piece of paper and a brush. Louis Tomlinson really liked to paint.

He had liked it since his mother bought him his first set of water colors when he was six.

He had liked it since he first touched a piece of crayon while sitting on a stool in his mum's kitchen on a hot summer day.

He had liked it since he drew his first tree which his mum had hung up on the fridge afterwards.

So when he took up painting as his major while applying for college, nobody was surprised. And when he managed to get a scholarship in UAL- one of the best universities for arts in UK- no one was surprised either. Louis liked to paint. Of course he'd get in.

So Louis liked to paint, and soon, he was going to get his degree for it.

 

 

He lived in a small flat in London --just a couple of blocks away from campus-- along with his best mate Zayn, who was a history major. All though it was a small flat, it was theirs and Louis liked it. He liked the old rusty walls and squeaky windows. Liked their worn out couch and the old squeaky bed he slept in.

He also liked his part time job at Marvalious, a small café just around the corner from their home. He liked the little red brick house with big wooden windows and old stained tables. He even liked the owner- Matilda- a woman in her seventies who talked about modern poetry with him. He liked the warm and welcoming feeling the café brought on a cold rainy day. He liked watching people pour into the shop, chattering away as they drank their first cuppa of the day. Some of them even smiled at Louis and he liked that.

But what he didn’t like was the coffee itself. It was bitter and thick and it made him feel all heavy inside. He was better off with tea, really.

 

So Louis Tomlinson liked a lot of things. He liked the life he led, he liked the people he knew and he liked the friends he had. And he liked to capture all of these things on a canvas.

It's not that he didn't like to talk but he'd rather let his paintings do the talking for him. He wasn't that good with words anyways.

He liked quiet nights when he would just sit in front of his easel and paint for hours. He liked long walks on the empty streets of London and he liked eating pizzas while hearing Niall talk away about nothing and everything. He liked soft rainy days when the rain would fog up the windows and make everything blurry. He liked the grey clouds that covered the sky and made everything look dark.

 

So on a rainy day in mid-May, Louis Tomlinson wakes up feeling quiet happy. After all, it was raining. He likes the rain.

After getting ready for the day, he grabs his black umbrella and starts walking towards the café with a small smile playing on his lips.

The cold wind hits his face as he walks slowly along the empty sidewalk and soon enough, he finds himself in front of his favorite red brick building.

   
The sound of his rain wet shoes echoes throughout the empty place as he slips himself in. He could hear Matilda from the kitchen. Giving finishing touches to the goods she had baked for the day.

"Louis, darling is that you?" The woman peaks out of the kitchen and offers him a soft smile. "It’s been pouring for a while now. Guess we are going to have a quiet morning today." She says.

"Good morning Matilda." He smiles at her in return. "Yeah, I think so too."

"I know you've got a thing for days like this. Be a darling and go change the sign to open yeah? Then come to the kitchen. I already have your cuppa ready and I just fixed a fresh batch of muffins." She says as she disappears into the kitchen once again.

So Louis walks up to the door and flips the front sign. The rain was pouring heavily now . He could see cars drive by on the road, splashing water everywhere as they went. He could see some passer-by’s too, walking in a hurry while covering their faces with their umbrellas.  It looks like they will have a quiet morning.

He walks back into the kitchen to already find his tea waiting for him on the counter with a muffin sitting beside it. Matilda knew about his hatred for coffee. Found out the day he had started working here and had a good laugh about it after. But she didn't mind one bit. She never even forced him a cup. And whenever he was on morning shifts, he would always find a cuppa waiting for him on the counter.

   
That's why Louis liked Matilda. The women showed her care with simple things as tea rather than words. 

"Tell me about college. How are your classes going?" She asks as she takes a seat beside him, sipping on her mug of black coffee.

"Classes are going well. The professor handed us a project a few days ago which is due at the end of this month. It's quiet ingesting." He says as he takes a small bite from his muffin. And as usual, it tastes amazing.

 

"Enlighten me then."

“Well, he wanted us to work on emotions. He wanted us to pick a subject. Let it be a plant or a rock or anything. And he wanted us to show him what we felt after seeing it with colors. He wanted us to showcase what it made us feel about it." Louis says as he sips his tea.

"Ahh. Painting out your emotions kind of thing.  It is interesting, I'd say.” She says while putting her cup down. "So, found your subject yet?"

"No not really. I was thinking of taking a human as my subject but it’s hard to find someone who will be willing to model. No one just fits.  Would've made Zayn do it but he already modeled on so many of my projects.” Louis can’t help the sigh that escapes him.

"Don't stress yourself darling. I am sure you will find someone. There is still time left."

"Yea. I hope so." He sighs.

 

***

 

The day passes slowly after that. The rain had turned into a soft drizzle when Louis was done with half of his shift. He slowly wiped the counter as he gazed at the almost empty café in front of him. They did have a quiet one today, with only a couple of customers inside watching the rain pour down.

He could see a boy sitting on the corner of the room, with headphones in his ears and a soft smile on his lips as he looked out of the window, lost in his own world. _A rain lover_. Louis thought.

"Um, excuse me?"

His thoughts were cut off by a deep voice coming from in front of him. He shifted his gaze towards the man who spoke and suddenly, he found himself in a sea of green.

A pair of absolutely gorgeous eyes were staring right at him and he was pulled in with such force he never knew that existed. And they were so _green_. Not the bright kind green that stung your eyes, but more of the softer kind. The dark mossy green that covered up wet brick walls and old trees. The kind of green of a forest, just washed clean by rain. The quiet kind of green. As if someone painted a forest in those eyes. Or maybe someone cast a spell and _trapped_ a forest in those eyes. A deep soft forest with green leaves everywhere.

Louis didn't even realize that he was staring until the person spoke again.

"umm.." It was a boy. A boy who was now blushing at him, biting his chapped lip. He was probably freaked out by his stares. God this is embarrassing.

"S-sorry. Uh." Louis tries to clear his voice. He always gets awkward in front of people. Especially when it came to people with gorgeous eyes, that's for sure. "C-can I take your order?" He stumbles over his words  as he tries to take in the boy that was in front of him. He was... _ethereal_. Something that came out of a book. Something that looked so pure that it shouldn't even exist.

He had lushes curly hair that framed his face perfectly and creamy pale skin that had a tint of pink because of the cold. He wore a trench coat over his plaid shirt and had long lean fingers on his big soft hands which were now placed on the counter firmly. And hell he was tall. _Like a tree_. Louis thought.

And his eyes. Now, Louis was never a poet but he was sure he could write poetry about them. He could make a thousand paintings, just to express the shade of those eyes. They were breathtakingly beautiful.

"C-can I uhh..Can I get a cappuccino please?"  The boy speaks with his rumbly voice and Louis averts his gaze again.

“A-anything else?"

“umm.. A muffin, please." The boy replies slowly, still looking at him. Louis must have freaked him out bad.

"C-coming right up." He sputters before moving to the side to prepare the order. He glances up a couple of times to find the curly hair lad looking right at him, averting his gaze every time he got caught with an expression Louis couldn't read. And it only made him feel worse. He really must have freaked him out with his stares. Why isn't he good with people! Why can't he just be all cool and normal!

After placing a muffin on a plate, he slowly pushes it towards the boy in front of him, avoiding eye contact at all costs. He stared enough for one day.

"Here you go. That will be 7.35£" He mumbles as the boy takes the tray from him.

"Thank you." He looks up to find the boy giving him a light smile as he hands him the money.

"You're welcome." He gives a small smile back in return. After all, he likes people who smiled.

 

Several hours later, his shift was finally over. As he waited for his co-worker to show up, he couldn't help but glance at the boy that was now sitting on a table over the window. He sipped his coffee (his third one to be exact. Louis wondered how someone could drink that much in a go) slowly as he wrote in his journal looking so very peaceful. So peaceful that Louis wanted to paint it all out. Paint it all over on a canvas and hang it up on a wall. The boy had that thing about him. That thing that made you want to close your eyes and breathe. Did the boy know that?

His thoughts were caught off by the bell of the door chiming and without even looking up, Louis could tell who it was. There was only one person that could make you feel warm even on a cold rainy day just by stepping inside a room.

Niall James Horan.

That boy carries a sun with him, spreading up warmth wherever he went with his bright smiles and soft eyes. He was always shining, always beaming up at everyone he met and Louis liked that. Louis likes Niall Horan- one of his best friend and co-worker.

"Louuuuuu!" The boy walks towards the counter with a grin on his face like always and beams up at him "Happy morning!" He says as he stands beside Louis in his green apron, ready to take his spot.

"Hey Ni. Same to you too." He gives him a smile of his own in return “It’s quiet today. Proper rain this morning."

"I know! I felt like crying when I had to leave the bed. Don't know how you do it Tommo- waking up this early. It's terrible, I tell you!" The boy slaps a hand on his shoulder and Louis can't help but chuckle.

"It’s magic, trust me." He replies with an easy grin. "Now, ready to let me go?"

"NEVER! I CAN NEVER LET YOU GOO..!- I think I heard that line in a movie I saw last night, I forgot- anyhow, yeah yeah, get out you tosser! Go get some sleep."

"Thank you Nialler."

"See you in History though. Bye!"

"Goodbye Nialler. See you."

Louis waves as he slips out of the counter and walks towards to door. He grabs his umbrella and as he walks out, his eyes couldn't help but travel back towards the table by the window one last time. And he finds the forest staring right back at him. With the curls and the red cheeks and something else Louis doesn't get. Louis decides then and there that he likes forests.

 

****

 

Louis didn't have work on the next two days. And he was relived.

It's not that he didn't like his job (he liked it a lot) but he really needed to focus on his course work. He had yet to find a model for his project and it was driving him mad. He knew it wasn't due till the end of the month but still. He liked to finish things early and if it goes on like this, he was afraid that he won't be able to finish in time.

He tried to calm himself down by trying to draw up some rough sketches of what he would like but all his hands seem to come up with, is forests. Forests that had greens all over and mixed up with the blue sky making a weird shade of blue and green. He also drew eyes. Eyes that had those green forests in them. Eyes that had green everywhere with a hint of golden. So yes, he was pretty sure he was going to fail this semester. And Louis Tomlinson doesn't like to fail. He has never failed. But his hands and mind doesn't seem to listen to him at all so in the spawn of two days, his room becomes a mess of papers filled with green forests and eyes.

And that's how Zayn finds him that afternoon. Sprawled out on his bed with papers scattered around him.

"You need to take a break Lou." The boy says with concern laced in his voice.

"But I've got nothing Zayn! Nothing!  No ideas! All I ever seem to come up with is forests and it's not helping!" He wails from his bed.

"I can see that, but staying coped up inside all day isn't going to help now is it? You've got a day off today. Let’s go out, grab some food and get some tea inside your little stomach. God knows you get whiny when you stay away from tea too long." The boy says while trying to pull him out of his bed. "We can even look for someone for your project while we are at it yeah? It will help."

"I don't know Z. I am not good with peo-"

"I know I know. But this will work out. Even if we don't find someone, you know I am always up for it. Maybe we can get Niall to do it like that one other time."

That brings out a snicker from the smaller lads' mouth. He remembers the time he had asked Niall to model for him in one of his projects. And truth to say, it was a disaster. The boy couldn't even sit still for two whole seconds and it was a wonder how Louis even got something out of it. Niall was a whining mess throughout the whole thing and after it was over, the boy swore to never be near projects like that ever again following with an ‘ _I love you Lou but that was torture. Never ask me to do this again.’_ Overall it was a fun day. Maybe he will ask Niall, just to see his reaction.

So after changing into something comfortable (lilac jumper for Louis and leather jacket for Zayn cause, well, he is Zayn) the boys head out to grab some food. They walk towards Marvalious without any thoughts and soon the smell of freshly baked bread hits Louis's nostrils. As they walk inside they see Niall talking away with an old man while handing him back his change and as if on que, the blond' eyes finds Louis' across the room and the lad beams up at them with his big smile.

"Tommo! Malik! Couldn't stay away from Marvalious for a day now could you?" He waves them over as the old man leaves, leaving the counter empty.

"Hey Horan." Zayn gives him a nod which the boy replies with one of his smiles.

"So, assuming you haven't come here to work on your day off- what can I get you?"

"Umm.. I'd have a croissant. And umm tea please." Louis replies giving him a small smile.

“Black coffee for me. Throw in a hazelnut muffin yeah?" Zayn says with a nod.

"Gottcah! Say no more. Go and pick a table. I'll bring your food since my shift is over anyway."

"Don't put sugar in my coff- and he is gone. I swear if he puts even an ounce of sugar in it I’ll strangle him with his apron." Zayn says darkly and that brings out a laugh out of Louis.

But his laughter dies down as soon as his eyes travel around the room and lands on one certain table.

There is a person with a pair of forest green eyes staring at him with the same rosy tint to their cheeks and Louis suddenly feels like that the air has been sucked out of the whole room.

The boy looks good today. Wearing a navy button up and a matching bandana with white dots on his head to go with. There is another man with him today. Another handsome looking lad that makes him think of autumn for some reason. He looks.... soft. Like the soft leaves of autumn that fall out of trees and covers the ground with its orange glow. His eyes are a mixture of honey and caramel, almost like Zayn's but only a tad lighter. He looks warm and welcoming. Someone who would offer a warm hug to people they don't even know. Louis likes these kinds of people.

But he feels a light pang in his chest when he sees the caramel eyed boy whisper something to forest, making him blush even more than before.

"Lou?" Zayn' voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Who you looking at?"

 

"N-nobody. Let's get a table." He mumbles quietly as he walks towards a table further down the room. Hopefully curly won't see him from there. He had embarrassed himself enough for today.

"It was somebody, alright. I have never seen you look like that at someone unless you find them interesting. Was it the one with the slight beard?" Zayn says as they take their seats  and to Louis' dismay, the curly still has a clear view of his face from here, if he decides to look that is. Louis wanted to leave. 

"N-no it’s not him."

“Then who? Is it the curly one?" Zayn perks up. “It is the curly one, isn't it? Don't lie." He grins.

“It's just...he has a forest." Louis all but blurts out. Great.

"He has a _what_ now?"

"A forest, the one I can’t stop painting, in his eyes. He has a forest in his eyes. They are so _green_." Louis blushes down at the table. The earth should just swallow him up.

"Okay I didn't understand a word you just  but that's cute. I've gotta admit, the kid is rather pretty. Looks like a college student as well. Hey!" Zayn perks up again. "you should ask him to model for your project! That way you'll get to talk him too." Zayn snaps his finger in front of him like it’s the best idea in the world while Louis just blinks at him.

 As if even. He can’t even look at the boy properly, let alone speak.

"What?! Are you _crazy_?" The shriek is out of his mouth before he can stop it and  hurries to  covers his mouth with his hand before it gets any worse than it already is. The boy has probably heard of his little scream by now and is probably laughing at him with his friend. He hates Zayn.

"Why not! He is like- _perfect_ for your _thing_." Zayn protests from where he is seated. "All deep eyes and lush curls and pale skin. All the perfect model thing is going on right there. I say you should." He adds. "Oh and by the way." He grins smugly. " He hasn't stopped glancing at you since you've got here so there is a pretty good chance he'll say yes if you just ask him"

"Shut up Za-"

"What you lads talking about?" Niall walks up to them with their tray in hand and Louis sighs. At least now this will stop.

"You forgot my muffin.”, Zayn says blankly and Niall gives him a toothy smile in return.

"Oops! Anywho, what were you talking about? I heard Lou scream all the way from the counter. You alright?" He said placing the tray on the table and taking a seat beside them.

"Well, I was just trying to convince our little Lou here how amazingly perfect that curly hair boy would be for his project if he would just go ask him to model. Ohh, and also that the curly has a thing for him."

"No he doesn't." Louis mumbles from where he is seated and he can feel his face heat up. He definitely hates Zayn.

"Curly from the window?! I KNEW I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE!" Niall's voice booms with joy as he grins up at the two of them. "He properly checked you out since the second you got in! He is doing so right now too. Speaking of which." He pauses. "Wasn't he here the other day? The day you had the morning shift? _Yes_ he was! Wasn't he!" He claps his hands in joy. "Oh I remember now! God you should've seen his face when Louis walked out, Z. Looked like a proper lost puppy. Left after a couple of minutes too."

"No fucking way!" Zayn snickers. "You should totally ask him! Hell, I'll even do it for you!"

"Yea yea! Let’s ask him now. I'll just call him over and we can - oowwh!" Niall shirks. "What was that for?!"

“NO, we are not asking him. And no, he wasn't even staring. You sods watch way too many rom-coms." Louis huffs as he takes a bite out of his croissant.

"Mate, "He is staring at you _right now_. Just _look_." Zayn deadpans.

He slowly takes a glance at the said direction  only to be met with the forest once again. The boy was looking right at him, with the same rosy tint on his cheeks. And as the boy averted his gaze for the second time of the day, Louis swore he could see a hint of smile playing on the curly lad’s lips.

 

And Louis couldn't get that smile out of his mind for the rest of the day. After returning home (leaving the curly looking dead-Zayn's words-once again) he sat down on the floor of his bedroom with his sketchbook. And soon enough, the room was once again covered with sketches of forest green eyes and a smile that could mean a thousand things.

"Mate, just bloody ask him next time, yeah? This is just crazy." Zayn said eyeing the mess in his room with a blank stare.

"What if I never see him again?"

"Oh, trust me. you will."

 

*****

 

Louis had two weeks before his submission was due.

To a normal person, it would've been plenty of time. But for Louis... things were quite different.

He had only two weeks to submit his project and he still hasn't even found a model for his painting. He was going to _fail_. Even his finals were drawling in and Louis was _this_ close to ripping his hair out. He took two days off of work so he could focus on the project in hand and his study. And those two days had only consisted of him with either his face buried in a book or, his hands buried in his sketchbook. And also Niall' endless rambling of _Saw him again today. Poor sod was looking for you._ So yea.

Now, on a Sunday morning, Louis was up early and more than ready to go to work. One can only stay coped up at their house for so long.

It had been pouring since he woke up so the whole day just screamed beautiful to him.

So, Louis put on his fluffiest grey jumper, grabbed his glasses from the table and strolled towards the café with a smile on his face. He was starting after 11 so he had missed the morning rush by now. Louis liked quiet days. And hopefully he will get one today.

He walked into the shop and found it fairly empty. Jade was on her way out as she saw Louis come in and gave him a small smile and a pat on his back as she left. Louis smiled at her in return.

However, his heart couldn't help but sink a little as he eyed the shop and found the table by the window empty. _Of course he wouldn't be here! He has better things to do what are you even expecting!_. He scolds himself as he turns to hang his umbrella on the hanger by the door-only to crash into someone.

"Oomph!" He squeaks out at he tries to steady himself. He finds a hand on his elbow and opens his eyes to see.....a trench coat.

The man is wearing a trench coat. A trench coat he knew quite well. His throat dried up again.

"Oops!" He hears the same heavy voice speak as he forces himself to look up.

And he finds himself inside the forest once again. Green with wet leaves here and there. And are those fireflies? Because god those eyes just sparkled.

"Hi" Louis mumbles without even thinking and  now the kid surly thinks he is weird. Who says _Hi_ after _Oops_!?

As if hearing his voice, the curly’s smile deepens even more. He looks so beautiful like this. All ruffled up because of another windy day in London. It felt hard to breath in the same room as him. He needs to compose himself. And ask this boy to be his model. If he can even manage another word out of his mouth, that is.

"I-I'm Harry." The boy thrusts out his hand for Louis to shake and okay, the forest has a name. _Harry_.

"I… I'm Louis." Louis tries to mumble out in his ever shaking voice while shaking the lad's hand. "'s nice to meet you" he manages to choke out the rest in a rush as he feels his face heat up.

 

"Likewise." The boy beams down at him which makes Louis squirm inside.

"W-well, I-I need to be b-behind the counter so. I, s-should g-go? Y-you should come. S-so I can t-take your order." Louis gracefully stammers his way through his sentence as he takes a step back and hurries away towards the employee room.

God he is such a loser. He thinks as he shuts the door behind him. His heart is hammering in his chest, making it hard to breath. He needs to calm down. Why does this always happens to him! Why can't he talk to people normally!

He remembers meeting Niall for the first time when he froze up completely. It wasn't until the boy had smiled up warmly at him and offered him his half eaten granola bar that Louis managed to compose hinself a bit and could properly talk again. But this is worse than that. He was a stammering mess in front of him. He made a fool of himself. He can kiss Harry being his model goodbye. After today, he was sure the boy would run for the hills with even the mare thought about him. Why would a guy like Harry, want to associate with the insecure  stammering mess that is Louis.

So, taking a deep breath one last time he puts on his apron and slowly walks back to the counter. He finds Harry waiting. He watches as a soft smile spreads across the lads face, making his eyes glow with something Louis couldn't read.  There was something about that smile that Louis couldn't put his hand on. There was something there.

"Umm...c-can I take your order?" He says quietly and watches the curly’s eyes focus on to him as he slowly blinked at him.

"A-am sorry, what?" He speaks in his ever slow voice and Louis wants to drown himself.

"Yo-your order?" He asked again.

"Ohh." The boy gave him a sheepish smile. "Umm... I'll have a cappuccino and a croissant."

 _Cappuccino lover_. Louis notes as he mumbles a soft coming right up and goes to work. He could feel the lad' eyes burning on him from his back but he ignored it. He is probably thinking how weird he is, that's all.

He quickly fixed the order and brought it back to the counter.

 "H-Here you are. It will be 6.96£" he said while pushing the trey towards the boy, avoiding any eye contact at all costs. He embarrassed himself enough.

“O-ohh. Thanks. Here you go." He hears Harry say while handing over the money.

"E-enjoy." Louis mumbles softly as he watches the boy pick up his tray. Hearing his voice, the boy looks up and gives him that soft smile once again.

"Thanks, Louis." He says before walking back to his regular table, leaving Louis rather breathless on his position. It felt weird hearing him say his name.

And of course, Louis forgot to ask him. He couldn't even form a sentence properly. He was a fail. He should just forget about it and move on. He will ask Niall to do the modelling.

 Louis went on with his work and tried to ignore the boy who had seated himself on his usual table. But as usual, he would find his eyes traveling back to the table every once in a while to see the boy drinking away his coffee quietly, looking like the soft glowing sun he is.

 Thirty minutes into his shift the door chimes open and he sees the caramel hair lad walk in. He spots Harry on his usual sit and waves at him gingerly before walking towards the counter with a smile on his lips.

"Good morning." He gives Louis a friendly smile that Louis can't help but return. "Can I get a tart? The one with the raspberries on it? And a cup of green tea to go with it? If you serve any that is." He says sheepishly and Louis approves him right away. A tea lover is always appreciated.

"G-good morning. Yes you can. We do serve tea." He says giving him another smile. "Coming right up." He says as he turns to fix him a cuppa.

"Thank god. I was getting tired of drinking this black stuff every day. Am not much of a coffee fan so." The boy says from behind him and Louis can't help but nod in agreement.

"Can sympathize with that. I’m not a coffee lover either." He mumbles as he pours the hot water down the mug and dumps a teabag in. "Sugar?"

"You work in a café and you don't like coffee?" The boy quirks his eyebrows to which Louis just shrugs. " Interesting. Ohh and no sugar. I'm Liam by the way. Nice to meet you." The boy says as Louis places his order in front of him.

"I am L-Louis. Nice to meet you too." He says as he pushes the tray towards him with a hesitant smile. He was not got at talking but strangely, it felt easier with Liam.

"Great! Am here with my mate Harry over there. I'm sure you took his order since he got here a couple of minutes ago." Liam says pointing at Harry who had been watching them for a while now, his brows furrowed.

"Ohh yes. Kind crashed into him actually." Louis says blushing. " I owe him an apology I t-think. And it will be 5.13£ p-please."

"Really? Cool I mean...uhh here you go." Liam says handing him the money. "Nice talking to you Louis. Have a great day." He says giving Louis a big beaming smile and Louis smiles back and mumbles a soft _same to you_ _too_ before Liam rushes off to sit with Harry. Louis decides that he likes Liam.

After that things get a little busy.

 The rain stopped a while ago and soon it was lunch hour. People started pouring in on a steady pace, demanding their cuppa and a bite to eat. For a man with the hatred for coffee, Louis sure knew how to make a great cuppa.

Pretty soon it was time for Niall's shift to start, and as Louis was whipping the now empty counter for the last time, the bell chimes and a tired looking Zayn walks in.

"Louu...” He drawls out as he stifles a yawn under his hand.

"You just woke up, didn't you?" Louis says without even bothering to look up.

"Yup." Zayn says yawning again. "You should really take Sundays off man. It’s not fun waking up to an empty house on a Sunday." He pouts as he pokes Louis at the shoulder and Louis can't help but smile.

"I'll see what I can do _man_. Black, no sugar?" He asks as he finishes whipping the counter clean.

"yeap." He nods. “Ohh and I see your not-so-stubble admirer is back, with his _friend_." Zayn says eyeing the table casually.

"Shut up he isn't my admirer." Louis says as he pushes Zayn' order in his hands. "And his name is Harry. Kind of crashed into him this morning. Proper crashed. I wanted to ask him to be my model but I.." He trails off. I am a fail Zayn" Louis lets out the words in a rush as Zayn stares at him.

"Aww it's okay. We can ask him now. Like I said, I’ll even do it for you. "

"Wah- now!?! As in now _now_!?" Louis said looking at him with wide eyes because _no, no._

"Yeap. Now now. Your shift is almost over too. It's now or never babe. We are going with _now_."

"What are you doing it now?"

Niall' voice cuts in and _when did he get here?_

"Louis is going to ask curly over there to be his model for his project and I'm going to be his wingman." Zayn says grinning at Niall and Niall grins back.

"Then what are we waiting for?? Go get'em tiger! I'll watch the show from here!" Niall says clapping a hand on Louis' shoulder and ushering them out. Louis was going to puke.

"I am going to puke, Zayn." He says as much to the tosser beside him.

"Ohh you will be fine, Lou. You don't even need to do the talking. I'll do it for you even. Just stay with me. We got this." He says as he takes long strides towards the table where the lads are sitting with one hand on Louis's shoulder so Louis doesn't make a run for it. He knows him too well.

So Louis walks towards them with his heart beating in his chest. He needs to pee. Or puke. Or run. Yeah he really needs to run. He can't do this.

"I can't do this Zayn."

"Yes, you can, now shut up they are already looking at us." Zayn says as he drags Louis the rest of the way.

The other two boys are indeed looking at them with curious eyes with the curly’s eyes trained on Louis' every move. Louis really needs to run.

"Hello boys." Zayn says in the cleanest accent he can manage as he flashes them his blinding supermodel smile. "Mind if we join?" As fucking _if_ they would _mind_.

"Hi! No, not at all, please." Liam says returning the same enthusiasm as Zayn and points at the chairs beside them. "We were getting proper bored anyway. After all, you can only sit in a coffee shop for so long." He says giving harry a pointed look that makes the boy blush. Louis wonders what that is about.

"Great! I am Zayn, by the way, and I am sure you've met Louis by now " Zayn says while taking his sit and forcing Louis to do the same.

"Yes we did. I am Liam. And this is Harry." He points at the curly who gives a sheepish smile at both of them and makes a little wave which is, cute. Louis smiles.

"Well, nice to meet you both, Liam and Harry." Zayn says giving them a little nod. "Now I am going to be all honest here. We really didn't come here to make small talks with you both -not that we mind talking to you, not at all, you both are great- my point is, Louis and I here, _especially_ Louis, has a small little favour to ask of our little curly here." He pauses and gives both of them a small smile and turns to Louis with a pointed look. "Lou?"

And of course Zayn is going to make him talk. This is just great. Now Louis is going to make a complete fool of himself. Again. Great.

He looks up to find the three boys looking at him intently. Zayn with a bit of encouragement, Liam with a bit of amusement and Harry, with a look that Louis quite couldn't place into words. Maybe if he had his paint brush he could make something out- okay this is not the time. the point. He needs to start talking. Like right now.

"umm. Well you see" he mumbles softly as he clears his voice. "I-I'm an art major. Studying at UAL. Third year. And um.." He pauses to collect his thoughts and takes a deep breath. He looks up again to find the curly boy already looking at him with this glimmer in his eyes as if trying to calm him down. So Louis does calm down-even if its only a little bit- and continues. "And in this term, we are given this project about a painting that expresses something. Like, they told us to pick a subject for our painting and while we paint about it, our paintings must express something about the subject... And well." He hesitates once again. "I wanted to base my painting on a human and right now, I am in terrible need of a model.  The project is due in two weeks and I still can't find someone who fits my ideas or what I want to do. I just can't find someone suitable. I would've made Zayn model for me, but he has already done it countless times and Niall is just...well, Niall so." Louis was full on rambling right now. Great. "I was almost going to make Zayn do it again. Which is, until I saw, _you_." He looks up in time to see the curly' eyes widen at his words. And Louis gives him a small smile. He must have weird him out bad.

"I know it sounds really really creepy but umm.. T-try to hear me out. I’m really not that good with talking but umm, you seem to fit for what I am going for. L-like I can explain the i-idea to you later if you want. It's j-just I've been looking for someone who fits and you just d-do. I.." He pauses to take a breath. "And I know w-we just met and I am in no p-position to ask you of this but will you please, p-please model for my painting?  I know it’s a lot to ask from you but, I can make it up to you. I c-can even pay you for your ti-"

"N-no no that won’t be necessary."  The lad stops Louis in the middle of his ramble and Louis blushes. Great. He just declined. What was Louis even thinking.

"No, as in you won’t do it?" Zayn speaks up for him from the side and Louis is grateful. He doesn't think he can manage another word out of his mouth. He feels drained.

"No. NO, NO! No I dint mean that. I meant   _No_ , as in the payment. That w-won't be necessary. You don't need to pay me. I'll, I'll do it. No payment." Hearing his words Louis looks up once again to find the curly giving him a dimpled grin.

"R-really? Y-you would d-do it?" Louis asks in disbelief as the boy beams at him once again.

"Yeap. I don't see the harm. I'll just have to sit around for a while right? I can do that." Harry pauses. "Unless this is a nude portrait. This isn't a nude portrait right cause-"

"ohH NONONO. no nudity. No nakedness I assure you. You just need to sit still for a while so I can draw your profile up. That's all. It will only take a day or two, max. You w-will do it?" Louis looks up from his glasses to find the curly already nodding.

"I don't see any problems. Paint me up then. I'm in." He gives him a grin and Louis can't help but smile it return. Harry had said yes. He found his model.

"I assure you that Lou won’t let you down. I know him, man. And let me tell you, he is sick! Like a mad genius. Your portrait will blow your mind I swear!"  Zayn grins as he slaps a hand on Louis' shoulder which makes Louis blush.

"I a-am not that good, Zi." He mumbles.

"Ohh shut it. You should come by too Liam. You can see his other paintings too. He is amazing. I tell you both."

"Sure. I’d love to hear more about this. And I am sure Louis will do a great job. He just looks like that artsy stuff going on for him." Liam says while giving him a soft smile which Louis returns. "So when do we get started then? I am really excited."

“We can start from tomorrow? What do you say, Lou?" Zayn says looking at him and Louis nods.

"Tomorrow sounds fine."

"Great! You both can come by to our flat at four-ish? Since we have classes in the morning. Then Lou can explain all this once again. Clearly. We can text you our address if you give us your numbers."

"Yes. Numbers. That would be great." Liam says nodding. "Four will be fine. Haz and I have classes in the morning too. We are studying law by the way. " Liam says while handing his phone to Zayn.

"Great. Here's my number and here's Lou's. I've already sent a text. I hope you don't mind. Harry you can send us a text so we can get your number too yeah?" Zayn says while typing away in his phone and Harry just nods while giving them a smile.

"Done. It's all settled then. Lou finally got a model!" Zayn says flashing Louis a smile that Louis returns. He finally did. And looking at the vision of a boy that was sitting in front of him, Louis decided that he couldn't have gotten a better one even if he tried.

 

*******

 

So the next day Louis gets up early, like usual.

He takes his tea like he usually does and rushes towards thr uni.

He manages to go through all of his classes without any problems-besides forcing himself to stay still and _focus_ on what the teacher was actually saying- and soon, he was back to his small flat with more than three hours in his hand.

He feels restless.

Yesterday after Harry had agreed to model for him, Zayn and him found themselves stuck for another hour or so, talking about this and that. Well, it was mostly Zayn who did the talking and Louis who did the listening, but all in all it was a good evening. After a while even Niall came up to join them and all five of them just seem to hit it off. Louis watched as his two best friends make jokes with the others, laughing along with them and he felt....happy. And once in a while his eyes would find the curly looking at him from across the table, with the same smile on his lips and the same look on his face that Louis quite couldn't place, but it made him smile back anyway. After all he liked smiles.

But today he was feeling extra giddy. He will be finally able to paint that smile out. He will be finally able to capture it with his brushes and it made him feel excited. So after watching the clock tick away for who knows how long, Louis gets to work.

He tries to tidy up the living room, gets all his papers together, resets his easel's position over and over again, cleans his brushes, sharpens his pencils and checks his colors. Zayn takes one look at his condition and gives him a smile that is just far too smug for his own face and Louis just huffs. He hates Zayn.

So when the bell rings after four that day, Louis can’t help, but feel a bit nervous. God, he hopes he doesn't mess this up.

What if the painting turns out bad? What if Harry hates their flat and leaves? What if Harry decides that he doesn't want to do it anymore?

"I'll get it." Zayn barges into the living room and goes for the door before Louis can even get up from the couch.

"Welcome to our humble flat!" He gives them both an easy grin as he holds the door wide so that the boys can step in. Zayn had insisted that Liam came along yesterday, saying both of them can hang out while Louis and Harry get on with their jobs. If Louis had a hundred, he would bet it on Zayn having a crush on the caramel eyed boy. He should talk to Niall about this.

"Nice place." He hears him before he sees him.

The boy walks into the living room wearing an old band-T and tight black jeans that made his legs look a mile long.

"Oh. H-hi Louis." He gives Louis an awkward wave from where he stands and Louis can’t help but smile at that.

"Hello Harry." He says and watches the boy beam up at him.

"Louis, good evening, mate. Nice flat." Liam walks in with Zayn on his toes and the gives Louis a big smile.

"Thank you, for being here. I appreciate it." Louis offers them both a shy smile.

"Well, sit down boys, and make yourselves at home." Zayn says before sitting himself down on the couch beside Louis and making Liam and Harry sit across from them.

"So, let's hear it, mate. Haz has been proper excited since yesterday. Won't shut up abo-ouch!" Liam rubs his abdomen while fixing the curly a glare while the curly flashes them an innocent smile.

"As I was saying. Tell us about the thing. All though I doubt we would understand much of it." Liam says giving Louis an encouraging smile and Louis nods. He can totally do that. There is one thing Louis Tomlinson is good at talking about and that is art.

"Umm. Okay." Louis says gathering his thoughts. "There really isn't much to explain, honestly. It’s our final project for the semester and the project is about 'feelings'." He looks up to find quizzical expressions in both of the lads face and he can’t help but suppress a smile. "It’s kind of like uhh… how should I say this. Umm… the professor told us to pick a subject. It can be anything. Like a dog or a flower or a tree, anything really and he wants us to paint it out with what it made us feel. Like, take a flower for example. Flowers make people happy right? He wants us to bring out that happiness, paint it out in a piece of paper, with colors."

"So it’s like, putting out your feelings on a paper, with colors? Instead of using words?" Louis hears the curly speak and looks up at him to find his forest green eyes staring at him attentively. Louis nods again.

"Yes, it’s like that.  Expressing feelings with colors. And I wanted my subject to be a human cause well, I always enjoyed making human portraits. But it had to be someone new. Cause, new people makes us feel new things right? I wanted to try it on someone new and see how it goes. But I just couldn't seem to find someo-"

"That is until you bumped into our little Hazza here, _literally_ I might add." Liam says squeezing Harry's shoulder and giving a little chuckle that made the other boy blush.

"Umm… yeah." Louis says giving them a small smile.

"Well, I say it’s a terrific idea you've got going on, Louis. Don't you think Haz?" Liam says nudging Harry and the boy looks up.

"Yea. It sounds nice." He gives a small smile that makes Louis inside scream. He needs to breathe.

"Ohh it is, mate. Louis here makes the sickest paintings I've ever seen. You will fall in love with whatever he paints up, I swear." Zayn says making the smaller lad blush. Leave it to Zayn to always exasperate about Louis' paintings. He wasn't even that good.

"I am not that good." He says as much.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Zayn childs him. "Wait until you see his other paintings. They are sick I tell you. You'll be speechless."

"So, when do we start then?" Harry speaks up from where he is seated.

"Umm… well, I was thinking now. Well if you want to that is i-i"

"I'd love to." And that settles that.

"Okay then. You two boys do whatever you want. Come with me Liam. I want to show you the comic collections I told you about yesterday." Zayn says dragging Liam to his room and Louis snorts at them. He really needs to talk to Niall about this.

"So, lead the way?" Harry's voice interrupts his thoughts and Louis gives him an easy smile and leads him towards his room.

He decided to set his easel beside the window and placed the chair in front of it for Harry to sit.

"I a-am just going to draw out some lines today. N-Nothing big. Just your profile and stuff to ease up my hands. S-so it really won’t take that long" he says as he grabs his glasses from his desk.

"You wear glasses when you paint too?" The question makes Louis blush.

 "Umm. y-yeah I do, w-wear them all the time actually." He replies shyly.

"Ohh.  Umm, it suits you."

"T-thanks." Louis mumbles as he looks away. He really needs to breath.

"You're welcome. Now, what do I do?" Harry asks giving him another of his easy smiles and Louis smiles back.

"You just… sit _there_. Yeah." Louis says pointing at the chair and Harry obliges.

Louis grabs his pencils and walks in front of his easel.

"It really won’t take that long so you do-"

"Louis." Harry stops him. "It's okay. Take your time. I'll tell you if I get tired."

"O-okay. Okay. Thank you." Louis mumbles and gets to work.

It wasn't as if he didn't draw Harry before. God knows he did. Or he tried to at least. But it was nice to finally look at him without the fear of getting caught. Once in a while Harry would throw in a warm smile at his way that would make Louis inside burst up with something he quite couldn't explain. It was a weird feeling, settling deep inside his stomach every time he glanced at the boy. And as if with every stroke of his pencil, the feeling just grew bigger. Harry radiated something out from him. Something Louis couldn't explain in words. And it made him feel nervous. What if he couldn't explain them with colors either?  What then?

But it wasn't the right time for these kinds of thoughts. So Louis tried to push them out. Not now. He was just drawing some basic lines. Just to set the image of the boy in front of him. It wasn't anything big.

So Louis kept at it. And as he draw, he saw all the little details that there was on the boy's face. Like the small freckles beside his nose or the curves of his eyelashes. His almost invisible scuff that he had going on or the shape of his jaw. And Louis couldn't even get started on his eyes. As if every spike, every shade that was around those green orbs meant something.

"Harry, umm c-could you smile for me, please?" He says once he is done with the normal profile.

"Sure thing." The boy says before spreading his lips and giving him a smile that was far too big to be natural that made Louis chuckle.

"T-That's not a real smile Harry." Louis says as much and watches the boy burst into more of a real grin, popping out his dimples. Now that's what Louis wants.

"Well it’s not my fault." The boy drawls out. "How do you smile when there is nothing to smile about?" He says cheekily.

"I don't know; think about c-cats or something."

"Heyyy! How do you know I like cats?"

"Who doesn't?" Louis counters.

"Fair enough." Harry shrugs.

"Just give me a normal genuine smile Harry, really." Louis says and watches the boy beam.

"Roger that chief." He winks before settling on one of his dazzling grin that makes Louis squirm again. God.

And Harry holds that smile. Looks at Louis with the same glimmer throughout the whole thing. Louis watches his eyes getting unfocused and watches his dimples deepen as the boy wonders of to his wonderland. The boy must really like cats.

Louis smiles to himself and begins to draw. After a couple of minutes he is satisfied with what he's got so he tells Harry to stop.

"A couple of more minutes and my jaw would've snapped." The boy says while rubbing his cheeks and that makes Louis snort.

"Yea well it’s done. You did well. You didn't even falter once. I've never seen someone hold a smile for that long. If it was Niall in your place he would've thrown the chair at me." He chuckles. "So thinking about cats helped I guess?"

"Well, not cats particularly. No, but it was close to that. Way more soft and cuddly." The boy gave him an easy grin.

"Really? W-what's was it then?" Louis couldn't help but wonder.

"Well, it’s just something... well, _someone_ to be exact. I can’t seem to get them off of my mind these days."

And _that_ made him feel a pang in his chest. So Harry has someone? Well of course he has just look at him. There's no way he can't just.... What was Louis even thinking?

"Yeah?" His voice cracks a little at the end. "W-well, she must be real pretty then huh?" He says as he rearranges his pencils and tries to focus on the pages in front of him.

"Well. It’s a _He_. And yeah, he is very beautiful. The most beautiful man I've ever seen actually. He makes the best cappuccino's too."

And Louis flushes. He can feel Harry's eyes boring into him. Looking at every single reaction his face is going through. He feels heat spread all over his features and he just wants to run. The feeling in his stomach is about to explode. What was this even?

He slowly looks up at Harry to find the boy with a flush of his own and Louis suddenly wants nothing more to then to just pick up his brush and capture this moment, to paint out everything he sees and feels so he can understand what's happening. His throat feels dry suddenly.

Just as when he was able to manage to say something, the door of his room slams open.

"How's the work going lads?" Zayn walks in with Liam beside him.

"Wow... Louis this is Amazing!" Liam says coming to stand behind him, looking at the papers in front of him.

"It’s just some b-basic profiles nothing much really." Louis says clearing his throat.

"Nothing much? Are you kidding me? I can’t even draw a straight line and you draw this with in what? An hour or so? And they are perfect! Just look at them." Liam says in awe. “It’s like you captured Harold in a paper. With his dimples too! Have you seen these Haz?" He says looking at Harry.

"Nope, but I was just about to." Harry says and gets up to stand beside Liam to look at his sketches.

"Ohh my god these are amazing Louis! And they aren't even the real thing are they?" Harry says looking at Louis in disbelief and Louis just blushes all over again.

"See? Told you that you'd be blown away. Lou here is the descendant of Picasso." Zayn says while slapping a hand on Louis' shoulder that makes the boy roll his eyes.

"God, you guys sound like I just drew up Mona Lisa. This is nothing really." Louis mumbles while looking at the pages in front of him.

He could already see the errors he made in his sketches. He should really practice more or there's no way he will pas-

"Louis. They look amazing. Don't doubt yourself yeah?" Harry's deep voice brings him out of his thoughts and when he looks up, he finds the boy smiling down at him with the same smile he gave Louis the first time they talked. And Louis liked that. He liked that a lot.

 

After that things became more of a routine for the two of them. Louis would always end up finding Harry sitting in the café when he works and they both would end up talking about this and that throughout their time. Even if they don't talk he would always find Harry looking at him with the same glimmer in his eyes that Louis couldn't replace that made his inside squirm. Sometimes when the shop is empty Louis would find himself talking to Harry about his painting classes and in return Harry would talk about how studying law sucks. The time Louis told Harry about his hatred for coffee the boy had laughed at him for a good two minutes before asking why the hell he chose to work in a coffee shop of all places. And that made Louis talk. Talk about why he liked this old building. Why he chose to work in a place that smelled of something he hated but learned to like anyway. And while he talked he watched the glimmer in Harry's eyes grow bigger. And Louis couldn't understand what it was about. But it made him feel all weird inside and as strange as it sounds, Louis liked that weird feeling.

He also liked these days with Harry. When they would talk for hours and watch him laugh from the corner of his eyes. Sometimes Liam and Niall will end up joining them too and the four of them would walk back to Louis' flat for a game of FIFA with Zayn. Louis only needed one or two  more sitting sessions with Harry. He already has what he needs and now he just needed to start to paint. And throughout all of this, the five of them became friends. With Louis being the quiet one.

It isn't that he didn't talk at all. He did talk and laugh along with the others whenever he can. But sometimes he was happy with just watching them from his side of the sofa with his sketchbook on his lap. Making sketches of them without even noticing. And damn him if most of the sketches revolved around a certain curly haired boy he had grown rather fond of.

His room had become a shrine of Harry. From his bed to his desk, there were sketches of the forest eyed boy everywhere. Zayn had started to give him knowing looks since the day he had stumbled in his room without knocking (when does he ever knock anyway). It was just for the project. He had said, trying to convince himself rather than the raven hair lad in front of him.

And he knows that he is feeling something. He knows that every time he as much as glances at the curly haired boy, it makes him feel breathless.  He knows that looking at the boy smile makes him give out a smile of his own. He knows that watching the boy talk about modern poetry with Matilda shouldn't make him feel this fond. But he can’t help it. And then it’s when the boy looks at him.  Louis doesn't even know how to describe what he feels then. It’s like something squeezes his heart so tight that it might burst away any minute. And Louis doesn't even know what it is. Is it just mild attraction? Is it just lust? Or is it something even beyond that?

So when Louis finally sits down in front of his easel with his brushes in his hands, he feels nervous. He already knows what he wants in the canvas. Now it’s just up to his heart and hand to do the rest. So Louis closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. It’s time to find out. Time to begin.

So Louis paints. Louis paints for hours. He does not think and does not stop. The stroke of his brushes fills the canvas with every ounce of his emotions. And as he paints, it's as if every stroke of the brush bursts something inside of him, making his chest fill up with things he had never felt before. All he could even think about is the green around him, covering his bones and maybe his soul too. Taking him in and leaving him open at the same time. Every stroke of his brush created new feelings. Brought back every memory he had with the boy. And Louis just poured them out on the canvas. And he painted.

He smeared color over color, lines over lines and shades over shades. There was something about him, something about him that made Louis lose himself. Something about those deep green eyes that pulled you in, only for you to get lost in them. There was something about those soft plush lips that had the most beautiful shades of pink that made you want to touch it, to run your soft fingers over them, to want to have a taste of them. There was something about those curls that fell so effortlessly on his face. The way the harsh London breeze would sometimes blow it away making him look more beautiful than ever. And then there was something about his smile. Something so pure that it made your chest hurt with something you've never felt before.

And Louis wanted to know them all. He wanted to bring them out for the whole world to see. He wanted to capture them with his own hands.

So he painted. Until he was drained. Until all he felt was out there and he felt exposed, opened for the world to see. Until he finally understood what he felt.

And he stared, stared at the painting that was in front of him. Stared at it with wonders in his eyes cause god, this is what he felt then. This is it. It was out.

"Lou, it’s almost one, you nee-" Zayn stopped in his tracks as he entered the room and took in the surroundings.

"Ohh god.. Louis.. this is- ohh my god." He says dumbstruck, staring at the painting in awe.

"I...I think I like him Zayn." Louis says over a whisper. "I think I like him."

"I think you do mate. Because this is just... I've never seen you paint something like this bro. This is just.."

And the both stare at the canvas in front of them. The canvas that was now filled with colors. Filled with every color Louis could ever think of. From black to baby pink. From green to dark devious red. It was there. As if someone just accidentally dropped their paint box on it, with colors running everywhere. And in the very middle, there was Harry. Ever so bright and full of life. With his deep eyes that told a million stories and his tint of a smile that made Louis feel breathless every time. He was surrounded with colors. Covered in red, blue, purple, grey, orange, yellow- name any color and it was there. And it was those colors that brought him to life. The painting spoke of everything Louis couldn't understand before. And it's then when it hit him.

"How do... How do I tell him, Zayn?" He whispers once again. Afraid to say it out loud and break everything. “I-I am not good with words. I can’t even s-speak properly. H-how am I supposed to-"

"Mate." Zayn says stopping him. “I think you should just show him, yeah? Anyone with two eyes will see just what is going on in this painting here so, just show him. He will understand. I know he will."

"But what if he-"

"Have you even seen the boy Lou?" Zayn raises his eyebrows. "He is already head over heels for you, mate. It's that oblivious."

"Wha-"

"Why do you think he is always there in the café huh? Especially when it’s your shift and no. Don't give me the 'I make good coffee' bullshit, because we both know that's not it. He likes you Louis! All the boy ever does while he is in there is make moony eyes towards you every chance he gets. You can see it from a mile away. Even Niall saw it. " Zayn pauses. "Just.. just show him this yea? Liam is getting tired of him whining about you every day."

"He whin-" he stops at Zayn's pointed look. "okay. Okay. I'll, I'll show him this. " he mumbles.

"Now that's more like it!" Zayn grins. "Now, come and eat. It’s almost two you loser." Zayn says heading for the door.

"Ohh and Lou?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations."

"For what?"

"For topping the class this time too.  With a painting like that there is no way anyone else can beat you." Zayn says giving him a wink before slipping out. And Louis lets himself smile.

 

And Zayn was right. The project goes smoothly. It was after a week that he got his painting back with high praises from his professor and the top grade of the class. And now it was sitting soundly on his bed as Louis eyed it carefully. He still hasn't showed it to Harry yet.

It’s not that he was chickening out (okay maybe he was a little), but the deadline of the submission was in two days so Louis decided that it was better to get the job done, before he went for the real job in hand. Besides, he didn't really meet the curly for those two days (called in sick on work and well...okay he is guilty on that). He had told the boy as much about the painting over phone and the boy had pouted for a good five minutes before agreeing that Louis should submit it. But he also made Louis promise to call him up the second he got it back. And well that wasn't really working out well for him.

The following week after the submission had been a haze of _Harryharryharry_. Louis was completely washed away by the boy's presence that even when he was not there, the thoughts of him blew Louis away. It was as if he was in his blood. Beating with his heartbeat. All he ever did the whole week was draw portrait after portrait, sketches after sketches of the forest eyed boy but nothing ever seemed enough. Louis Tomlinson was in the position where he could draw up Harry Styles with his eyes closed. And he wasn't sure if he should be proud or sacred of that bare knowledge. His colors had run out, his pencils had been broken and his room was now filled with pages after pages, canvases after canvases that had the face of the boy written all over them. And Louis just wasn't sure what to do with them. How to explain anything because whenever the boy was in front of him, his mouth decided to stop working.

And harry, the lovely sweet harry, never seemed to mind once when the blue eyed boy seemed to lose his voice completely. He was content to do the talking. If not then he was content with just looking at Louis with the same glimmer in his eyes that made Louis' world go hazy all over again. He felt like drowning. Yet he didn't want to be saved.

So now he was sitting in his room filled with Harry Styles. His feelings have already been ripped apart from him and smeared across the canvas for the world to see. Now all that was left to do was to safely deliver it to Harry. And Louis might just have figured out how.

 

So his next morning started in a blur. And the rain just seem to mix up with the feeling inside his heart and made him feel more breathless than he was before as he slowly walked towards the coffee shop with the portrait in his hand. He was on morning shift today. But he was not going to work. There was no way he was staying back and facing harry after this. He needs time. Too afraid to see his reaction.

So the lad had called up Niall, begging him to take over. The boy had agreed easily after hearing Louis out, blurting out a _'see you in the morning Lou'_ before ending the call.  This is why he likes Niall.

So Louis walked into the coffee shop that was still closed for the people outside. He was met with a tired looking Niall smiling at him from where he was sitting.

"You brought it?" He asked as he came around to give Louis a big hug.

"Y-yea. I did."

"Well good luck man. Hope this works out. Zayn said you made a sick one this time and I believe him. Harry is going to flip when he sees this I am sure. You both are so obvious I swear to god." Niall pats him on the back and watches Louis place the canvas on the same table where Harry sits every day.

There. His work was now done. All he could do now is wait. And pray.

 

*****

It would've been just another normal day for Harry. Except, it was a Sunday. Which meant that Louis' shift started at eight. Which meant he was going to see him early. Which meant a lot to our little Harold.

Louis. The one boy that had turned Harry's world upside down with just one mare glance. Louis, with his soft hair that glowed under the soft light coming through the windows of the small café. Louis, with his piercing blue eyes that made you feel like you were in the middle of the ocean whenever you looked in them. Louis, with his soft smiles that made the whole room feels so much brighter. Louis, with his soft words and soft sweaters and glasses that hung loosely on the top of his nose for being over used. Louis with the smell of fresh paint and lavender. Louis, who made Harry' tiny heart skip a thousand beats every time he even much as glanced at him. Louis, for who harry was hopelessly, despicably, undoubtedly, _gone_ for.

It had all started on a Monday. Harry had just finished his morning classes and got out for a stroll. But the rain had a mind of its own and started to pour like never before. He had stumbled across the red brick coffee shop and it just seemed so welcoming that Harry couldn't resist himself from entering. And then he saw Louis.

Louis who was wearing his green apron over his baby blue sweater with his glasses placed high on his nose. And Harry couldn't make himself look away.

He watched as the boy wipe away the counter with his delicate hands as his eyes danced around the shop with a soft smile on his lips and Harry was mesmerized.

Harry had mumbled without realizing and then the honey haired boy had looked up and suddenly all Harry could see was _blue blue blue_. As if someone had thrown him into an ocean. An ocean so calm and so bright that Harry couldn't look away even if he tried. Those eyes were meant to pull you in. Pull you in and to never let you go. And Harry was quite literally stuck. Stuck staring at the beautiful man that stood in front of him which made him blurt out another weird noise from his mouth. Harry was sure he made a proper fool of himself right there and then. That is until the man decided to mumble a soft _can I take your order?_ And _strike three,_ Harry was out. Gone. Done for.

And thus he found himself coming back again. And again. And again until he finally (quite literally he might add) managed to bump into the angel of a man and made him take notice of his quite desperate self. And Harry was on top of the world that day. Because he got to know his name from his mouth (Louis. Pronounced Lou-ee. He had proudly told Liam over a cup of cappuccino that Lou-ee made) and Louis, actually talked to Harry. All thought it was only a little but he still did. And that was enough. It was enough for him.

Which is until the day Louis, approached him, himself (with one of his friends on tow, but still, it was Louis so) and quite literally asked him to model for his project. (He was an art major, a painter. It was fair to say that his poetic little heart had cried at that). It was fair to say that Harry couldn't sleep that night.

And Harry honestly thought that after all this, things would quiet down. He was almost sort of friends with Louis now so he thought this crush obsession thing will fade away with time. But he was so wrong.

Because the more Harry got to know Louis, the harder he had fallen. It was as if Louis was a force, a force that was pulling him in and making him drown. And Harry was just so awestruck by it all. Mesmerized  by the visitor that was Louis.

He learned that the boy didn't speak much. That he preferred Beyoncé over Rihanna. That he liked his hair down in a messy fringe. That he would frown and bite his lips whenever he was concentrating. That he loved the rain and the sound of thunder. He learned that his eyes changed shade throughout the whole day depending on his moods. He learned his hatred for coffee and love for tea without sugar. He learned his way of thinking through his paintings and he learned that he'd rather let his art do the talking more than his words. And Harry fall for each and every one of those things, because they were just so, Louis. And Harry liked Louis. Harry liked him a lot.

So it was safe to say that Harry Styles was gone for Louis Tomlinson. He was in far too deep and now he couldn't even get himself out even if he tried. He would find himself in the café every day; until he figured out Louis's schedule and visited the days he had work. He just had to be there. He knew he was acting like a school girl with a stupid crush, but he was just so gone. His feet would move on its own and he would always find himself back on the same table watching the same boy work away every day. Sometimes they would talk. With Harry doing more of the talking and Louis being the quiet one listening intently to every word Harry says. Harry liked those days. Sometimes Louis would throw in a story of his own or mumble a soft comment here and there and things would just be, perfect really. Anything was perfect when it involved Louis. And sometimes when the shop got busy, Harry would just sit on the corner and watch the boy quietly work away with a soft smile on his lips. Once in a while he would look up and meet Harry's gaze and Harry would find himself being washed away by blue waves all over again. And Harry liked that.

Which is why he happily got up at nine on a Sunday morning and wrapped himself up on his trench coat before heading out with an umbrella over his head. It was raining. Louis liked rain.

He hummed a Britney song he heard last night as he let himself into the warm red building. But his smile faltered when he saw that it wasn't the honey haired boy that waited by the counter to greet him softly like any other day. No, it was just Niall.

As if Niall saw right through his disappointment and offered him a soft smile of his own. "A good morning to you, mate." He offered as Harry stepped beside the counter. Maybe he should call Louis up and see if he is okay. He never misses his morning shifts. Especially not on a rainy day like this. What if he is sick?

"Before you ask, yes he took a day off and no, he isn't sick.  Sadly, he won't be coming in today which I don't know why." Niall paused and gave harry a shrug. "But, you might want to check your table before you leave yeah?" He says giving him a small smirk and Harry just frowns at that. What's the point of going to his table if Louis isn't going to be here? As if reading his thoughts Niall speaks up again. "Just go check your table, Haz. Really." He says giving him a light tap on his shoulder and Harry sighs. He turns himself around and walks towards his table still frowning deeply. God he was over thinking. Maybe Louis just got tired so he slept in. Yeah maybe that's just it. He looks over to his table to find a big  bag sitting on it, with a blue ribbon tied over it. He turns to give Niall a quizzical look only to find the boy grinning at him with a following "See it for yourself" and sighs again. What's this now? It wasn't his birthday. Who could leave him a present?

He runs his hands over the hard surface of the bag before picking it up and pulling out the thing that was inside.

And it was a canvas.

And no this was not happening.

Harry’s heart was on his throat as he slowly turned it around to find- ohh my fucking fucking god.

It was a picture of him. Well he figured that much out once he saw the canvas but _oh GOD_. Ohh his beautiful good god this was just..

Harry stared at the picture in awe.

Sure it was a picture of him. With his face and his eyes and his hair, but… it had Louis all over it. It was Louis that was in the colours. It was Louis that was in those every stroke. It was all Louis. Looking at the painting, all Harry could ever see was just how much Louis was around it, how much of his emotions were around it. It was as if every bit of emotion Louis had put in there, every single word that he had never dared to speak were now singing to him through the canvas he was holding. And Harry was thunderstruck. Louis had hit him like fire and now Harry was burning.

Harry wasn't the artsy type. Never was good with a paint brush. But he knew raw emotions when he saw them and this. This was... and all Harry could do was stare at it until his eyes got blurry. Until his mind had stopped thinking altogether and all the blood in his veins were screaming that one name.

"Pheww.." He heard Niall whistle from behind him. “I really don't understand these artsy things, mate, but this, this is just sick. Never seen Lou make something like this before." Niall said looking at the canvas he was holding and Harry swallowed.  Louis never made something like this.

He needs to see him. He needs to ask him about.. What he thinks this is.. Harry snaps out of his thoughts and reaches for the bag that had fallen on the ground. As he grabs it a small piece of paper slips out of it landing on top of his boots. And the words that were written on them, was enough make Harry's eyes go blurry all over again.

" _I am not really good with words._

_But I'll tell you this._

_There is a list of the things I like in this world, Harry Styles._

_And you maybe are on top of that  list._

_Yours sincerely, Louis xx"_

He needs to see him right now.

So he grabs the bag and puts the painting inside it with trembling hands. He looks over at Niall to see the boy grinning at him.

"go and get him tiger!" Is all the lad says before ushering him out of the café.

And Harry runs.

He literally runs towards Louis' flat, with the rain pouring over his umbrella and mud sticking to his jeans. He runs until he is on their doorstep, knocking frantically for someone, anyone to open up so he could see his boy. See him and ask him if-

The door is open with a tired looking Zayn, who eyed him for a second before speaking up.

"so I am assuming you saw the painting?"

"yes." Harry says between his breaths. "is he.." He trails off

"I..i dunno mate. 've been sleeping since last night. Lets go check his room yeah? Come in."

He says before steeping aside to let Harry in. They both walk towards Louis' room without another word, with Harry's heart beating loudly in his chest.

He takes a deep breath before knocking on the closed door, praying that Louis was in there.

There was no reply.

So with a sinking feeling he reached for the knob and turned it, letting the door open up to reveal the room that was now empty.

And harry was awestruck once again.

Louis wasn't there.

But his heart was.

****

Louis walked on the empty streets with his trembling feet. Anywhere he'd look his eyes would always land on something that reminded him of the curly haired lad. He tried not to. But he failed. Harry was all he could think about.

What he did today was brave. Probably the bravest thing Louis Tomlinson had ever done in his 20 years of life.

And he was scared.

Scared of what might happen after this. What if Harry doesn't understand? What if Harry saw it all wrong? What if Harry doesn't really like him the way he does? What if Harry hates him after this? His thoughts got cloudier and cloudier, until he found himself drowning in his insecurities and self-doubt. Louis was never confident. He was never good at these things. Why would anyone want him? He was a loser. A mess. Why would Harry even want to have to do anything with him? Harry is so... _Harry_. All nice and charming and sweet and all so perfect while Louis was just _Louis_. Who can't even speak a word properly without fumbling and who hides behind his canvases all the time. Harry would never fall for him. He would never. And Louis was stupid to do this. He shouldn't have given Harry the painting like that. He should've just kept it hidden.

But he knows that would've been impossible. He _knows_ Harry. He knows that the boy would find one way or another to get to the painting and that wouldn't have ended well either. So Louis took the shot. It was better if it all end sooner than later. Because every second spent with Harry made Louis like him more. And he was scared what it might lead to if he spends a second too much with him.

He doesn't even want to go home. Cause home means Zayn and twenty questions. And Louis wasn't in a mood for that either. He just wants to hide, fade away so no one can see him. He needs to get himself together again.

So he walks. Walks for hours and hours under the soft drizzle of London. Lets the wind lead him, lets it consume his  thoughts. He walks until he can't walk anymore, he walks until the sun starts to hide behind the clouds and the starts starts to shine, he walks until the rain finally stops, and finds himself in front of his flat. Half drenched and half dry, Louis Tomlinson walks up the stairs and opens the door of their flat with his keys.

"You are finally BACK WHER-ohh god you went for a _walk_ didn't you! Shit you are wet. Go to your room yeah. We will talk later. Can't believe this really..." Zayns mutters as he all but shoves him towards his own bedroom, all the while muttering things that Louis couldn't get and eyeing him from time to time and giving him a look that didn't even make sense to Louis right now. He just wants to lie down.

He opens the door and slips inside without a word. He shuts the door behind him and glances at his now dark room.

And just as he was about step in further, he sees him.

There is a person sitting on his bed. And even in the very little light that was coming through his window, Louis could tell who it was. He knows every curve of that man, knows every inch of him. He can paint him with his eyes closed.

"Lou?"

 Harry.  Harry with his windswept curls and jet green eyes and soft smiles, was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed, the portrait lying beside him and suddenly, Louis couldn't breathe all over again. God he was pathetic.  
Feelings washed up over him like waves and left him empty. He looks at the silhouette of the boy that was sitting on his bed with his empty eyes as the boy stared right back at him. And his legs gave in. He found himself leaning back towards the door and sliding down until he was on the floor with his knees covering his chest. And he breaths. He closes his eyes and breaths. Until he hears the soft creak of his bed.

He opens his eyes to find the green right in front of him. Looking at him with the same kind of glow that Louis couldn't explain no matter how many times he tried to paint it out. And he starts to feel dizzy all over again because this was all too much! The silence was all too much! He needs to do some...he needs to speak up! But he found no words.

"I--"

He hiccups and shuts his eyes again. He can’t do it. He can't. He was pathetic. God why was it so hard to _breath._

 "Lou..." He hears the boy whisper softly as he feels his hand sliding over his face. " _Baby_ , Please, just... look at _me_." He feels Harry’s soft thumb, guiding his chin up so he could face him. "Please." The boy whispers again. And Louis shivers.

But Louis does open his eyes. As slow as he can and he gets hit with green all over again. Even in the soft light, Harry's eyes shines bright, just like the first day he saw him.

"I--I.." Louis tries to speak up again only to stumble. Tears started to pool in his eyes because it was hard dammit but... Harry’s hands were right there.  Creasing his cheeks and wiping his eyes to shush him.

"No. It's okay love. None of that." And he could line out a smile on Harry' face.

"B-but I-"

"Shhh..no. No words." Harry says shushing him up once again. "They don't matter anyways. Not with us ." He says bumping their foreheads together.

And Louis feels like bursting.

"Loved the painting, by the way" Harry says looking at him and Louis just looks back. Unable to get anything out. "it was soo" He stops to take a breath. " _you._ So very you." Harry says giving him a smile. "You may have painted me up Louis Tomlinson, but it was you who was inside that painting. And it was _beautiful._ "  He says bumping his nose with him. I feel the same, by the way." He says." If not, even more and...I'm, I'm not good with words or paint brushes or anything really to explain to you how I feel but" he pauses. "I..I could show you."

"Ho-

And suddenly his lips were on Harry'. And the whole world just stops.  
It's like it was spinning wildly before coming to a complete still.  
Like, after running for miles, he finally reached the finish line.  
After drowning for years, he finally found the ground under his feet. He wasn't drowning anymore.

Harry was kissing him. And he was kissing Harry. And Louis didn't know just how many colors he needed to mix before he could paint out what he was feeling right now. He didn't know how many shades he would need to get this all out. But he couldn't wait to figure it out though. There was plenty time.  
But right now, all that mattered was this. This moment. He wanted to capture it in his heart and keep it there. Cause he liked it a lot.

So he kissed him back. Kissed him back with everything he had. Cause after all, actions did speak louder than words.

  
So yes, Louis Tomlinson liked a lot of things. And maybe, just maybe, Harry Styles, was above them all.

**Author's Note:**

> well.....how bad was it? wish i could've showed you the painting but i am not a painter (not even near that thing really) so well...*sigh*  
> anyway, come talk to me in
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr??](http://charmingcheeseball.tumblr.com/)


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